Translation of Terms in Chinese Philosophical Classics Based on Eco-translatology: A Case Study of Wang Rongpei’s English Version of Zhuangzi

Abstract

In Chinese philosophical classics there are plentiful terms constructing a whole system of ancient Chinese philosophical thoughts. These terms are regarded as an important content of translating Chinese philosophical classics. In the meantime, they are also considered as a great difficulty in the translation process, since many of them are featured by semantic vagueness,multiplicity and even vancancy resulting from time distance, linguistic evolution and cultural differences. The concept of three-dimensional transformation, a key notion of Eco translatology,provides the translator with enlightening significance in handling these recondite terms. By analysis from the perspective of three-dimensional transformation, we can find that when translating terms in Zhuangzi, Wang Rongpei selected adaptively some translation methods, especially the method of adding footnotes, in order to reach a satisfactory balance among three dimensions of language,culture and communication. By the case study on Wang Rongpei’s English translation of Zhuangzi, the paper aims to explore appropriate strategies and methods for translating terms in Chinese philosophical classics.